The latest market reports confirmed that the Topps trading card of American baseball player Mickey Mantle has sold for $5.2 million at the auction. That incident set the highest record value of a sport non-fungible token (NFT) sale to date. The company announced the debut of 1-of-1 Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle NFT On February 24.
In the past few years, the world has rapidly jumped into a digital era, with physical asset companies that once held millions also indulging in the new virtual world through the non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Many NFTs are today offered as the next generation of collectibles.
The Golden State Warriors Legacy Collection World Champion Ring NFT, which sold for 950,000 during its initial release, and Erling Haaland now worth 831,000 are also perfect examples of physical assets that have joined the virtual world.
Interestingly, following the delight of many trading card communities, Topps Community has continued to share a great moment in sports and entertainment since its start in 1938, with the Topps Mickey Mantle representing just one.
Moreover, in 2021, the Topps successfully launched its own NFT platform, toppsnfts.com, and several NFT collections for Major League Baseball, Bazooka Joe, Toho Godzilla, and Bundesliga.
Chasing The Next Evolution Of NFTs
In line with the digital ecosystem that continues to evolve rapidly, the team behind Topps NFTs recently introduced the Timeless Series of 1-of-1 Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle Card NFTs that can be owned forever and passed down for generations. At the time, unlike other releases, the collection called attention to the company’s most iconic baseball card through premium 1-of-1 digital offering.
While commenting about upcoming crypto development, Tobin Lent, the general manager of Topps Digital Sports & Entertainment, said:
“Throughout Topps’ rich history, and especially over the last few years, several iconic baseball cards have been designated as holy grails to the collecting community. With our Topps Timeless Series, we now bring these history cards to the blockchain as NFTs that can be owned forever and passed down for generations.”
The timeless Topps NFTs will officially debut at the OpenSea NFT Marketplace on March 1, 2022. These NFTs are recreations of the classic Topps baseball cards, videos of historical imagery, and memorabilia showcasing Mickey Mantle’s legacy. In that context, the auction winner will get an opportunity to participate in a 30-minute video interview with Danny and David Mantle, sons of Legends Mickey Mantle.
Before summarizing, Tobin added:
“The Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle card continues to be one of the most coveted baseball cards of all time, and we’re excited for one passionate fan to be able to add this monumental piece of sports history to their digital collection.”
Preparing For Future NFT Releases
According to the Topps Company, the upcoming NFTs auction will be the first of its kind, adding that it expects it to attract high valued interests from both collectors and baseball fans. Nonetheless, these Timeless NFTs will open up a more dynamic world of possibilities in the digital collectibles space.
